U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,487 discloses a dispensing package for fluid products. A container has a body for holding a product to be dispensed and has a finish extending from the body with an open mouth. A closure base includes a ledge with a skirt externally secured to the finish and a cylindrical wall extending from the ledge coaxially with the mouth. A collar has a deck with a central opening aligned with the mouth, a first cylindrical wall surrounding the opening and extending away from the mouth, and a second cylindrical wall externally surrounding and secured to the cylindrical wall on the base. A lid is integrally connected to the collar or the base by at least one hinge. A dispensing valve of flexible resilient elastomeric construction has a peripheral portion captured between the collar deck and the base cylindrical wall for securing the valve in position and simultaneously functioning as a seal between the base and the collar. The valve also has an intermediate portion underlying the collar deck, and an annular wall portion extending from an inner end of the intermediate portion radially inwardly adjacent to an inner surface of the first cylindrical collar wall. The valve further has an inner portion extending radially inwardly from the annular wall portion, and at least one dispensing slit in the inner portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,469 discloses a dispensing valve that includes an annular ring of relatively rigid molded plastic construction, and a flexible resilient valve element integrally molded onto the ring, and the ring and the valve element have at least one mechanical interlock to secure the valve element to the ring as the valve element is molded onto the ring. The mechanical interlock includes openings in an inner periphery of the annular ring and portions of the valve element molded into the openings. The inner periphery of the ring includes an annular ledge, and the openings are through-openings disposed in an angularly spaced array around the ledge. Each of the openings includes an enlarged portion opening at one axially facing surface of the ledge and an ensmalled portion aligned with the enlarged portion and opening to a second axially facing surface of the ledge.
One or more general objects of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, include providing a dispensing valve that is made of one piece and is not retained to a closure by a separate rigid retainer collar or mounting ring, may be recycled with a closure, may include an opening portion and a mounting portion coupled to the mounting portion and having an annular rib to limit axial movement of the opening portion during dispensing and venting of the valve.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
A dispensing valve system in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure includes a base of relatively rigid plastic construction, and having a dispensing opening, an annular recess surrounding said dispensing opening, and an annular wall separating said recess from said dispensing opening. The system also includes a dispensing valve of one-piece one-material flexible resilient molded plastic construction, and including a center portion disposed within said annular wall and having at least one dispensing slit, and a peripheral portion attached to said base and including an annular rib extending into said annular recess for movement radially inwardly and outwardly within said recess as a function of motion of said central portion of said dispensing valve thereby to limit axial movement of said central portion during dispensing and venting at said valve. Preferably, the center portion may include one or more slits.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a dispensing valve includes a resiliently flexible mounting portion, and a resiliently flexible opening portion disposed radially inwardly of the mounting portion. The valve also includes a resiliently flexible intermediate portion disposed radially between and coupled to the mounting and opening portions, and extending both radially outwardly and axially to form a first radial space between the opening and isolating portions, and spaced radially inwardly of the mounting portion to form a second radial space between the mounting and intermediate portions. The mounting portion includes an annular rib extendable axially outward with respect to the opening portion to limit axial movement of the opening portion during dispensing and venting of the valve.
In accordance with a further aspect of the disclosure, a one-piece one-material dispensing valve includes a resiliently flexible mounting portion including a radially outward annular wall, and a resiliently flexible opening portion disposed radially inwardly of said mounting portion, and including a radially inward annular wall, a web extending radially inwardly of said radially inward annular wall, and at least one slit in said web. The valve also includes a resiliently flexible isolating portion disposed radially between and coupled to said mounting and opening portions, and extending both radially outwardly and axially to form a first radial space between said isolating portion and said radially inward annular wall of said opening portion, and spaced radially inwardly of said radially outward annular wall of said mounting portion to form a second radial space between said isolating portion and said radially outward annular wall of said mounting portion. The isolating portion includes at least a radially intermediate annular wall, and said radially outward annular wall is cantilevered from said radially intermediate annular wall. The mounting portion includes an annular rib extending axially outward with respect to said opening portion and extendable into an annular recess of a closure housing for movement radially inwardly and outwardly within said recess as a function of motion of said central portion of said dispensing valve thereby to limit axial movement of said central portion during dispensing and venting at said valve.